Batwoman #15 Review

Guest Author - Eugene Bradford

Batwoman #15, published by DC Comics, was co-written by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman. The first and final pages were drawn by Williams with colors by Dave Stewart. The pages in-between were drawn by Trevor McCarthy and colored by Guy Major. The lettering was provided by Todd Klein.

There are months when the series produces some great stories. There are also times when the series just plain falls short. In this issue Detective Maggie Sawyer, Kate’s girlfriend, takes the spotlight. Williams and Blackman have worked to develop the cast surrounding Batwoman and it has rarely disappointed. However, it doesn’t work so well with Maggie receiving the attention here. The work of the writing team did not pull me in as it has previously. This is not due to the focus being placed on another character as there have been issues presented from other character’s viewpoints which have worked well. This is one of those cases in which a talented, proven creator just doesn’t hit the mark.

The best way to describe how this issue presents is “crime noir.” This goes for the writing style as well as the visuals. The structure of the writing and how it appears throughout the book give off that vibe. That’s a popular style and genre and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Here, however, I felt that a lot of what was conveyed through the script could’ve been dialed back some.

The art duties for the issue are split between Williams and McCarthy. The latter handled the majority of the visuals. If you are a fan of Williams’ art and want to grab this book strictly as a collector, I would recommend you skipping this issue. Williams only draws the first and last pages of this comic. As stated, the primary artwork has the feel of a crime noir book. Major’s colors differ for his first few panels before he adds a darker touch for the rest of his pages. There was some inconsistency in Maggie’s eye-color. While it is a minor nitpick, it’s worth pointing out.

Readers who have developed interest in Maggie will want to pick this up. For those who’ve been reading but have not connected to the character, I wouldn’t rush to pick this up. For most readers, I would call this issue a pass. After reading this issue, while there are tidbits of the true story, you will put the book down not feeling as if anything has actually progressed. For a series with probably the longest overarching storyline amongst the New 52, that’s not a good thing.